This invention relates generally to a portable electronic device used as an auxiliary storage device for an information equipment, such as a memory card device, and also to a portable, electronic gaming device, and more particularly to a portable electronic apparatus having a display portion thereof
As is known in the art, a portable electronic device or a slave device, such as a memory card device, may be used as a non-volatile storage element for holding data. The portable electronic device is inserted into an information providing apparatus, such as a video game machine acting as a master device, and receives information thereof for storage. The portable electronic device includes an interface for connection to a main body portion of the information providing apparatus.
FIG. 34A shows an illustrative block diagram structure of a memory card device as an example of the portable electronic device. In FIG. 34A, a memory card device 10 has a control circuit 11 for controlling the operation of the memory card device, a connector 12 for connecting the memory card device to a terminal provided in a slot of the main body portion of the information providing apparatus and a non-volatile memory 16 for holding data. Connector 12 and non-volatile memory 16 are coupled with control circuit 11. The control circuit comprises, by way of example, a micro-computer and the non-volatile memory comprises a flash memory, such as EEPROM, or the like by way of example. As a connection interface with the information providing apparatus, an additional micro-computer, or the same micro-computer as that used for controller 12, may be used to oversee the data transfer protocol.
FIG. 34B further shows a plurality of control items within controller 11 of memory card device 10. Here, the controller 11 has a connection interface 11A for connection to the main body portion of the information providing apparatus and a memory interface 11B for data input/output for non-volatile memory 16.
A conventional video game device, such as a home TV game device, stores game data or the like in an auxiliary storage device. The above-mentioned memory card device 10 may be used as this auxiliary storage device for such a conventional video game device. FIG. 35 depicts an example of such a conventional video game device 1 employing memory card device 10 as the auxiliary storage device. As shown, the video game device has a main body portion 2 housed in a casing. A disc loading unit 3 is positioned in a center area thereof and is adapted to receive an optical disc having an application program recorded thereon to be used by the video game device. Main body portion 2 of video game device 1 includes a reset switch 4 for optionally resetting the game, a power switch 5, a disc actuating switch 6 for actuating the loading of the optical disc, and in a preferred embodiment by way of example, two slots 7A and 7B. Memory card device 10, used as the auxiliary storage device, is inserted into one of slots 7A and 7B. A control circuit 19 (Central Processing Unit xe2x80x9cCPUxe2x80x9d) of video game device 1 feeds information indicative of, for example, the results of a game being executed on the video game device. These game results are written to nonvolatile memory 16 of memory card device 10 and may include score results, game position information so a user may restart a game at a desired location, or the like. Plural actuators (controllers), not shown, may also be connected to slots 7A and 7B so that plural users can simultaneously play combat games or the like, for example.
The portable electronic device may be connected to the external device during use in any number of orientations. The portable electronic device may be mounted on an upper end, a lower end or a lateral surface of the external device, in any variety of use states. If a display unit is provided on the portable electronic device, the display unit of the device is designed to be viewed from a particular direction when the apparatus is attached in a particular mounting state. When the portable electronic device is attached to the upper end of an external device, for example, and is thus connected in this proper mounting state and position, display on the display unit is normal and may be easily viewed by a user.
However, when the portable electronic device is mounted on a different external device, it may be mounted in a different position and orientation, such as on an upper end or on a lateral surface of the external device, by way of example. In this case, the display on the display unit is not visible in a normally oriented state, but in an upside-down state, so that it is difficult to view.
Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide an improved portable electronic apparatus having a display that overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an improved portable electronic apparatus with a display.
It is another object of the invention to provide an improved portable electronic apparatus that when mounted on an external equipment during use, a display thereof may be optimally viewed regardless of the orientation of the portable electronic apparatus mounted on the external equipment.
Still other objects and advantages will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification and the drawings.
Generally speaking, in accordance with the invention, a portable electronic device including an outer casing holding an electronic circuit portion that can be connected to an external equipment is provided. The portable electronic device includes a display provided in an outer casing thereof, the display being controlled by an electronic circuit portion of the portable electronic device. An opening provided in the outer casing of the portable electronic device for housing a terminal portion thereof, and adapted to be connected to a piece of external equipment is provided for determining the orientation of the display when the portable electronic device is connected to an external equipment. The electronic circuit portion is responsive to the results of the determination of the orientation of the display, and thus determines the direction in which material is shown on the display.
Therefore, in accordance with the portable electronic device of the invention, optimum orientation of material presented on the display thereof can be realized, irrespective of the mounting orientation of the portable electronic device on the external equipment.
The invention accordingly comprises the several steps and the relation of one or more of such steps with respect to each of the others, and the apparatus embodying features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which are adapted to effect such steps, all as exemplified in the following detailed disclosure, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.